Beer Biscuits from Scratch

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You’ve probably all heard of beer bread, right? But have you heard of Beer Biscuits? Possibly my all-time favorite biscuit recipe is this one that I adapted from The Soup & Bread Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas. The recipe was printed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste Section a couple of years ago. If you’ve never heard of her before, Beatrice Ojakangas is a prolific cookbook author and member of the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame who hails from northern Minnesota and who has been called the Julia Child of Finnish cuisine.

How to make beer biscuits

I love this recipe for many reasons besides the fact that it’s so delicious. First of all, there’s no expensive store-bought mix with all kinds of additives and preservatives. You probably have all of the ingredients in your house right now. There’s no measuring of shortening (I’ve always hated that mess), and no cutting-in of shortening or butter. Just pour beer in a liquid measuring cup to the 3/4 cup line, then add canola oil to the 1 cup line (you’ll figure out what to do with the rest of the bottle of beer).

I like to use my dough whisk for mixing biscuits and scones.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured work surface, gather it together into a ball, and LIGHTLY knead it together 4 or 5 times so it smooths out.

You don’t really even need a rolling pin because you can just pat the dough out with your hands. And, if you cut out the biscuits with a pizza cutter like I do, there’s no re-rolling of scraps with the possibility of some of the biscuits coming out a little tough. If you do use a biscuit cutter, always use a sharp one and push straight down, don’t twist the cutter or your biscuits won’t rise as high.

When to serve beer biscuits

These are great for breakfast with butter and honey, OR for that Southern delight known as biscuits and sausage gravy (YUM!); they make cute little appetizer sandwiches for happy hour if you split and fill them with little slices of leftover ham or some chicken salad; serve them with chili or stew at dinner and modestly accept your family’s praise; add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the dry ingredients, cut them a little larger, and they make splendid strawberry shortcakes.

You won’t taste beer, but you will find that they rise high and light. Leftover biscuits can be sealed in a plastic bag and kept at room temperature for a couple of days, then reheated for just a few seconds in a microwave.

So try these little gems next time you’re looking for a quick and easy treat to serve with any meal.